Picture Perfect v2
by speak-slow
Summary: He never was one for surprises, and he certainly didn’t expect one to happen that day. All he wanted was a cool brew, along with a hot bowl of chili; something to keep him going on his long journey. Instead, a beautiful woman asks him for a simple favor.
1. Chapter 1

Picture Perfect

He never was one for surprises, and he certainly didn't expect one to happen that day. All he wanted was a cool brew, along with a hot bowl of chili; something to keep him going on his long journey.

He wasn't sure where exactly he was going. Maybe a large town, or maybe another small village. Anywhere where he could make money to keep his journey going.

But the moment he entered the small restaurant he felt indifferent. Something in the pit of his gut was swirling to get out, and it bothered him. He didn't like feeling uncomfortable, it just wasn't the way he preferred. But then again, who did? This feeling was overwhelming, and he tried hard to delete it. Beer after beer, bowl after bowl- this feeling just wouldn't leave.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Logan tore his gaze away from the cheap granite countertop bar to look towards the soft-spoken voice. A woman, two seats away, was leaning towards him. Her face was beautiful, if she brushed her wild mane of hair away from her eyes. Her eyes, large with question, were a deep green, with a hue of yellow tinge within. Bags formed under her eyes, leaving Logan to wonder if she had any sleep within the last couple of days. Her face was complimented with slim eyebrows, pointing at the right arch; almost cat like.

Her clothes were baggy on her small frame. She wore a long sleeved blue shirt, with a pair of torn jeans, not exactly meant for this type of the weather. He could still hear the winter's harsh wind blow against the restaurant's cheap doors. The heat was blazing from the vents on all sides of the building.

She was… eccentric. Her nails painted a deep black, chipping, showed an almost yellow rust tint to them, and they were long; fairly long. Her hair, reaching past her breasts, was a dark brown, with streaks of an… almost blue hue to it. A large belt buckle rested on her hip, and it was of a spider. The woman was young. Maybe 23. Or 21.

Logan brought his eyes back up to her face, and all concern was gone. Instead a serious look rested on her face. He noticed her small nose, and couldn't help but realize just how beautiful the woman could be.

"Did I stutter?" She asked, her voice a deep question. "Look, mister, I'm genuinely worried, and believe me, that rarely happens. What's up? Looks like you're about to lose your bowels you're so uncomfortable."

Her mouth certainly lost all of her beauty. Sure, her lips were large and plump, but the words flowing out lost any, if not all, presence of her beauty.

Logan grunted and shook his head, bringing his bottle of beer up to his lips. The cool liquid was refreshing, and the taste was soothing. He brought the bottle down back to the bar, and kept his eyes straight forward, ignoring the woman beside him.

He heard her mumble a couple words that no woman should really know, and turn her back towards him. He could smell the scrambled eggs she was tossing around with her fork, and the sweet aroma of her coffee. Logan took another whiff… the coffee was spiked with whiskey.

Logan turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. "A little early don't 'cha think?"

The woman looked back towards him with a raised eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Logan looked at the large clock behind her and smirked. "It's not even eleven yet."

The woman turned around her to the clock then back to her mug. A smile graced her face, and she shook her head. "I didn't think it was that strong to smell." She allowed her long fingers to dance along the mug. "It calms me down." She whispered.

"From what?" Logan asked, genuinely interested. Although his voice, harsh, didn't let it on.

"Oh…" She laughed. "My cars down, and I have no fucking idea where to even start with it."

He didn't respond, turning away from her. He didn't want to become more involved than he already was.

But, apparently, the woman wouldn't have any of that. She slid over to the seat next to him and stuck out her hand. "My names Tegan."

His dark eyes stared at her hand, and he thought about it for a moment. Logan then brought his large hand to meet with her petite one. Once they clasped, Tegan smiled and laughed. "Figures though, I'm not much of a car person." She brought her hand away from him.

Logan turned to look over his should and asked, "Which one?"

"Uhm," Tegan looked over as well. "The one that looks like it's going to break apart."

Logan noticed it right away and let out a small 'Oh.' The car, indeed, did look like it was going to break apart. It was a small blue car, a sprint, and it vibrated against the heavyset wind. That thing wouldn't allow her to even leave the parking lot—alive.

Tegan let out a nervous laugh, full of embarrassment. "Heh, that's good ole' Betsy."

Logan turned back to look at her with an eyebrow arched high.

Tegan shrugged and with smile on her face she turned back down to her food, which was quickly becoming cold. The silence that drifted upon them was becoming, drastically, awkward.

"Hey- uh, listen. Would you mind taking a peek at my car? I mean, you can say no, but it'd be really cool if you did."

Logan scoffed.

"Please? Listen, I'll even buy you a beer!"

He looked over to her and gave a faint hint of a smile... or was it a smirk? "Canadian." Logan stood up and walked out of the restaurant towards her vehicle.

Tegan ordered his brew then turned to watch the man saunter his way outside. The wind howled when the door was pushed open, allowing a cold breeze to cause shivers to run up and down her arms. Once the waitress brought the beer down, she put down two dollars, grabbed the beers, and stood up. Tegan walked outside, bracing herself for the cold weather.

Tegan laughed at the sight of Logan bent over the car. "See? That's how damaged it is!" She yelled over the winter's harsh wind. Logan looked up, and she handed him his beer before going back around to the trunk to grab a jacket. "I could just open the trunk and hood without pulling the knob!"

Logan didn't hear her, for his head was stuck in the car's hood. It was a moment before he stood up straight, took a swig of the beer, and then closed the hood.

"Well?" Tegan asked, eyebrows crocked high with anticipation when silence drifted upon them.

The man took another drink of his beer and gave a shrug. "How far you plan on going?"

The question caught Tegan by surprise and she brought a hand up behind her neck and gave a scratch. "Well, uh…" She shook her head. "Uhm… I'm not too sure. I don't really have a said plan. I'm just-"

"Look, kid, just gimme a destination…"

"I don't know! Somewhere west." Tegan smiled. "Why you plan on helping me out?"

Logan shook his head. "No, I just wanted to let you know; you're not going to make it 20 minutes out of this place." He brought his hands up and slammed the hood down.

Her eyes squinted with anger and she shook her head. "Thanks for nothing you prick-" She reached around him to grab the beer that she bought for him, snatching it out of his hands.

Tegan walked around him towards the front door, opened it, and slamming it closed. Logan shook his head and took a step back. What was he suppose to do? He shouldn't have even opened his damn mouth in the first place! What was he thinking? He almost asked her if she needed a ride! … She was crying.

Something tugged at Logan and he sighed. He ran a hand through his coarse hair before taking a step towards the car. The woman was leaning her head against the steering wheel, her hair falling around her face, and her shoulders shaking with tears.

Logan grunted before tapping on the window. The woman looked up to him with slanted eyes, rage still coursing through them. She unrolled the window and asked; "Can I help you?"

He felt on the spot, and it definitely something he did not like. He was silent for a second before he asked, voice thick, "I can take you as far as Golden. You're on your own after that."

With that he turned away back towards his truck, forgetting about paying for his meal. Logan hopped into the truck, slamming the door and waiting for what he knew was going to happen. And within moments, Tegan, with a duffle bag, tore the door open and hopped in.

They were silent as Logan turned the truck to life and tore into the gear. He backed out of the parking lot and keep the silence treading before Tegan whisper, barely loud enough for a normal human to hear;

"Thank you."


	2. a life that you saw

**Hello! **

Thanks to grumpypirate and scottjunkie that reviewed this story thus far, I hope it continues to keep you guys hooked! This chapter was sort of hard to finish. I seem to be having a hard time relating to Logan this time around. The Origins movie really put things into perspective and I'm just trying to keep him somewhat true to the character. Apologies if I'm not close! I'm trying!

Review!!

* * *

The high way lights matched perfectly with the snow that held them in on the road. The light's tinted the night with a layer of orange, and Logan could make out every snowflake that fell from the sky and whirled around him.

The truck was silent, for Tegan was sound asleep with a fleece blanket wrapped around her. She tucked her legs in under her, and leaned her head against the window. Her mouth was held open, and her soft breathing was the faint sound in the vehicle.

Of course, her faint breathing was much louder to Logan sensitive hearing, as was the faint beating of her heart. Everything in her vital signs showed that she was in a deep sleep, and wasn't expected to wake up anytime soon. A plus for Logan.

Truth was, he didn't know how to handle himself around the girl. Never in his remembrance did her ever feel awkward with a woman. Women were his forte. He was able to handle his emotions around any woman, but, for some reason, Tegan was different.

She was loud and obnoxious. For within minutes of entering the vehicle she belched out loud and didn`t bother to apologize. She hassled him with personal questions, deeming she was only trying to find out if he was some mass murderer that just took in random young females to get his way, and to quote, `to chop them into pieces and leave me somewhere in Alberta`s highway ditches.`

When he finally passed her all her 20 questions, she began to tell him her life story.

``I was born in Toronto, and raised about an hour outside of-`` She stopped when she noticed he wasn`t paying attention. `You know it`s rude not to listen when someone`s talking, right?``

``No, I wasn`t aware.`` He replied, which only made her grind her teeth.

``Well, you know now. So listen!``

Logan shook her head. ``You`re damned persistent. I don`t need to know about your story anyway, as soon as I find a decent enough place, you`re out on your own kid.``

Tegan raised a perfect eyebrow to him. ``Kid?`` Her disgust was evident in her voice. ``Don`t call me that.`` She hunched her shoulders towards her side of the car and stopped talking, sounding offended.

Logan shook his head and continued driving. It was best not to question her, he decided. It might've lead to something more of a brawl than a quiet drive. The dreaded feeling of guilt began to crawl up Logan's spine, and he tried desperately to push it back down. There was no need to for him to feel bad. He just called her kid, it wasn't like he'd called her bitch, or worse yet, the 'c' word Logan dared not use on a woman. He knew his place.

On the other hand, it did shut her up...

She didn't speak for hours, and Logan didn't notice that she'd fallen asleep. Logan smirked and rolled down the window a tinge, before reaching over into his glove compartment to pull out a pack of cheap cigars. As he brought his hand back he pushed in the automobiles lighter and at back while he waited. A moment later, it popped out and he lit his cigar.

The smell of heavy smoke filled the truck, and he thought for sure it'd wake up the sleeping beauty beside him. Instead, she slept still and her breathing didn't change.

-

Tegan released a groan when she stretched hers legs out from the single position they'd been in for hours. They ached with pain, but Tegan ignored it and pushed herself up from the somewhat uncomfortable position she'd fallen asleep in.

It was dark out now, and the truck had been forced to slow down for the wind outside became intense as it howled against the vehicle.

"Mrm." She moaned, stretching her arms out. "Where are we?"

Logan didn't bother to look over to her. Instead he simple answered, "Just crossed the border into Alberta."

Tegan pulled her sight over to him and raised a delicate eyebrow. "Just?"

"Look, the truck isn't exactly new-"

"I hadn't notice." Tegan interrupted, causing a small snarl from Logan.

"Look, if it ain't your kind of ride, I could drop you off pretty quick."

Tegan shook her head. "No, no. It's fine. I don't exactly have a kind of ride. But if I did it wouldn't be this piece of-"

"Hey, listen girl-"

"Oh, so you've graduated from kid now! Glad to hear it!"

"Oh you son-of-a!—"

"Oh, so now we've taken to name calling. Perfect. Am stuck on the road with a middle aged man calling me a bitch! No, wait even better- he's calling me a SON of a bitch. Not only rude, but extremely stupid as well. This is just a peachy Sunday isn't it?!"

Their voices were at their full volume now as they screeched at each other. Logan, feeling offended that she even thought about talking shit about his ride, when he, so gratefully, was giving her a ride to safety! Oh, this was just getting to be too much. He could've left here there in the diner. He SHOULD'VE left her there in the dinner. He probably would've been nice in comfortable in the back of his pick-up, warm in his bed. Not sitting in the truck arguing with a girl who'd just recently become a woman- and of all things, they argued about his truck. His truck!

"And don't for one second think that I won't just drop you off on the side of the road. Cause, believe me, it'd do a whole lot better for me to--"

If Logan had been paying better attention to the road and not to the heated argument he'd been having with the woman beside him, he would've seen the large creature that bolted out in front of his truck. And he would've been able to stop the accident that was happening now.

Tegan reached over with a screech of 'Logan!' and grabbed his arm with a death grip as the truck hit the creature with a full on collision. The truck bounced back from the mere intense force and power the creature had, causing Logan and Tegan to bounce back and forth in the seats.

Whatever the creature was, it held its large arms in front of itself and recoiled the truck to the left, causing it to spin out of control. As it did so, it released a growl, and its eyes glowed a deep scarlet red.

A loud shrilling noise of static erupted in their heads, and Tegan howled with pain. The static rang to her core, and she felt her being shake with shock. Her body, and she wasn't too sure if this was from the shock of spinning in circles, or the frequency, became hot and heavy. Like a stone.

But within seconds, the noise stopped and the truck halted in the ditch, its backend hitting a tree. The tree collapsed from the collision, and Tegan whacked her head on the dashboard, causing everything to go black.

The truck was releasing a violent hiss when Logan's mutation finally got around awakening him from unconsciousness. He managed to pull himself up from the steering wheel, and adjusted his eye sight to look ahead. A recollection of his thoughts ran through his mind and his eyes went immediately to the middle of the road. Whatever it was that hit them was gone.

He reached over to pull open the door, and when it didn't budge he released his claws and dug it into the side. The door creaked open and he sliced the seatbelt off before taking a step outside.

The cool air stung his lips while the wind dishevelled his hair. His eyes were squinting against Canada's harsh winter weather, and he tried desperately to find whatever it was that his truck had hit.

A loud groan had torn his gaze away, and he let out a loud shit when he realized his truck had lost power.

Running over to the hood he tore it open, and steam splashed his face, causing him to moan in pain. He tucked his head away towards his right shoulder and held it there. His healing ability instantly cooled his face down, and when he thought it was safe, he turned back to look at the damage.

It was in bad shape. So bad, Logan was having a tough time figuring out what exactly was what.

"Shit!" He hollered with frustration before tearing himself away from the vehicle, causing the hood to collapse down. With anger fresh in his veins, he lost himself. For a split second, the animal took control, and he whirled his fist into the truck, the claws inflicting damage on the grill.

It was then that he remembered he had a passenger in the truck with him. With the hood down he was able to see Tegan's body slumped against the dashboard, and she wasn't moving.

Panic surged through him and he made his way around to her side, cranking the door wide open and pulling her out. Her seatbelt had come undone in the wreckage, and her body fell into his arms. Logan pulled her down to the soft snow and brushed the hair out her face.

Blood was slowly coming out from her nose, and her breathing was haggard. He could see the development of fresh bruises on the left side of her face- the side that took the blunt force of the dashboard.

A hiss of sympathy washed over him and he cupped the left side of her face, pulling it to the other side as to take a closer look. Then, he noticed it.

Her ears were something he'd never seen before. Instead of rounding out like a regular person, hers tipped to a delicate point, and a soft layer fur was disintegrating before his eyes. Logan turned his gaze to the truck to see if anything had spilled on her, and when he saw nothing, he looked back down to her. The fur was completely done.

Tegan's eyelids began to flutter open, and Logan subconsciously pulled her closer. "Girl- ya alright? Tegan?"

Then, to his amazement, a smile fluttered on her face. "You said my name." She whispered her voice harsh from the pain she must've been feeling.

Logan felt his lips pull back in a grin and he shook his head. "Yeah, well, don't expect much from it. You okay?" He pulled away from her, but kept a grip on her hand.

Tegan brought a free hand and laid it on her face. "Besides from the headache from hell? I think I'll live."

Logan took a stronger hold of her arm and helped her sit up. Slowly he helped her to her feet, and she hissed with pain. "Remind me not to tighten the damn belt."

Logan nodded in agreement. He let go of her arm when he was sure she could stand on her own without falling over. She placed her hands on the truck's hood and sighed. "What the hell was that back there?"

Logan walked over to the other side of the truck and looked off to the wild woods on the opposite side of the highway. He was silent, lost in his thoughts, trying to find the words to tell her that he wasn't sure what it was.

"Holy fuck!" Her exclamation drew him out of his thoughts and he turned to look over to her. She was inspecting the front of the truck, and he felt his heart sink. She noticed the damage he'd caused to the grills. "That thing must've been huge!"

Tegan placed her hands on the grill, and clenched her hands into a fist. The three marks stood out distinctively and she shook her head, taking her hand away. She brought a hand up to her forehead. The pounding was becoming worse, and there was nothing she'd like more than to down a bottle of Tylenol and be done for the night.

When it became even worse, Tegan clutched her head with both hands and began to shake her head. She crouched down and put her head between her knees. She was beginning to feel her breathing fasten, and her pulse quicken.

A hand placed itself on her right shoulder and grip onto her. She felt the shivering intense when he crouched down to her level. "Your body's going into shock."

Tegan clenched her eyes hard. No, she was sure that wasn't it.

She had to take control. She had to control what her body was trying to do. She couldn't- would not- allow the beast to take control. One, breathe in, two- out. One, in. Two, Out.

She wasn't aware how long she sat there, crouched to the ground, but when her body had finally controlled the urge to change, she looked up. Logan was still standing beside her, but his back faced her. He was still staring off into the woods.

Logan felt her eyes bore into his back and he turned back to her. Without a word, he helped her stand up and walk to the canopy on the back of his truck. With a couple tries, the door finally creaked open.

The place was in disarray. His clothes, from the crash, fell out from the opened duffle bag, and mixed itself with Tegan's mess. Apparently, she'd left hers zipped open too.

When he placed his hands on her hips to help her help, he felt her body stiffen to his touch. Her fingers clutched onto his and pulled them away. "I can do it myself." She hissed, pulling her petite body up into the shelter and warmth.

Logan pulled away and couldn't help but feel that familiar bolt of anger. It wasn't like he was going to do anything- he was just trying to help her up the damn thing...

He noticed her struggling with trying to get up the small make shift ladder that lead to the single twin bed that laid on the heading of the canopy. He pressed his lips together in concentration before he decided he'd help her.

Logan tried placing his hands on her waist once again, but she grabbed them. However, this time, her hold was weak. "Don't..." She mumbled.

Logan sighed. "Look, girl, I'm not gonna touch ya' or do anythin' freaky. You've trusted me this far on this crazy road trip."

Tegan sighed. He was right. She did trust him, and he hadn't done anything prior to blow that out of the way... besides. Her body was way too tired to even try and argue with him. Her mind couldn't even put proper words together- and she didn't even ask him what they were going to do! What were they going to—

Logan helped her up and she fell to her side instantly, and for the second time that night, Tegan's world went black.

-

The rest of her night didn't get any better. She was vaguely aware of the heavy body sleeping beside her, so far away that she was sure he'd fall over any given moment. And it didn't help that the cold air was attacking her from every angle.

Mindlessly, Tegan reached for a blanket, and when she couldn't find one, she did the next best thing. She moved closer to the body next to her.

-

The first thing Logan felt was the warmth of the body curled next to him. His arm raised and lowered with each breath the body took, and it had taken a couple moments for Logan to realize his arm was wrapped around Tegan's middle.

As if he'd touched something hot, he pulled his arm away quickly not wanting to wake her. _Calm down. _He thought to himself. It wasn't as if he'd done anything wrong. If he recalled correctly, it was Tegan that pulled her body close to him. Whether for warmth of body comfort, he didn't quite want to know.

Slowly he pulled himself down from the bed. He reached back over and tucked the blanket snug against the sleeping woman. Once he was satisfied with her comfort he turned around and dug around the clothes, then his duffle bag. He pulled out a couple of twenties and shook his head. "Fuck."

Grabbing his jacket, he climbed out of the trailer and made sure it was locked before walking around the front of the truck. With his nerves calmed he would be able to take a better look at what he would need to fix it.

Opening the hood, the sight before him was just as frustrating as last night. Whatever the hell they'd crashed into was strong enough to bust around with engine. To the point where he _still _couldn't figure out what was what. He held the hood open with one hand, and looked closer. With a closer inspection he was able to make a mental list as to what to look for when he got into town.

He slammed the hood down and cracked his neck. Time for some exercise...

Logan couldn't help but feel that someone was rubbing his predicament in his face as he walked by a green sign. The next town was 207 kilometres.

-

The smell of smoke was what awoke Tegan from her slumber, and she opened her eyes slowly. It took a couple minutes, but she was finally able to gather her surroundings.

The stale stench in the trailer trailed up her nostrils and allowed her brain to register that she'd passed out in the back the night before. After the accident... That creature!

Tegan pulled herself up in a hurry, but didn't even make it fully up. Her already injured head came full force with the ceiling of the trailer, and she hissed in pain. "Fuuuuuck!"

Clenching her head with her palm she rolled her lower half of her body of the edge and felt for the floor, and when she was secure enough to push herself down, she did.

First, she placed her fingers under her nose, and above her lips. Dry, crusted blood scraped under her fingers, and she shook her head. Tegan could _feel_ the bruises on her face, and she could just imagine what she looked like.

Deciding not to dwell on her features, Tegan walked over to the door and pushed it open. The sun shone in, making the outdoor scenery breathtaking, but too Tegan, it was too damn bright! The sun hissed in her direction, and caused immense pain to her sight. She pulled her forearm over her eyes and shook her head. "Could my morning get any fucking worse?" Tegan mumbled to herself, turning her entire body away from the exit.

She leaned onto her left leg and placed a hand down on the small, rusty, kitchen table. It groaned with the weight, and shuffled to the side that her hand pressed down. A paper bag slid down and brushed her finger tips, causing Tegan to look down.

Tegan reached over to the bag and pulled it open. The smell of food and grease relished into her senses, and Tegan, not even realizing she was hungry, felt her stomach growl and her mouth salivate.

Pulling out the tin foil, her fingers danced along the edge before peeling it open. It revealed a grilled cheese sandwich, with ham grilled in between the cheese. A grin flashed on her face and she tore it out, eating it without knowing if it was hers or not.

Once finished the sandwich, she dug in the bag to see if there was anything else. There was. A Styrofoam container held hash browns, and an apple. Hrm, not bad...

When she completed the entire meal, she felt somewhat satisfied. With her mutation, Tegan could never completely feel full. Food was something she'd always stop and take a nibble at. However, her appearance didn't give that idea for her. She was small compared to her appetite.

Tegan walked over to her bag of clothes and began to dig through, desperately searching for a mirror. When she finally pulled it out and had taken a look, she wished she hadn't. Her image was distorted. Her entire left side of her face was covered in yellow faint bruises, and her left eye was beginning to blacken. "Shit." She hissed, pulling the mirror down. She didn't bother looking at the dry blood under her nose.

Reaching back into the bag, Tegan pulled out a pony and twisted her hair into a messy bun. She had to find Logan to figure out what exactly happened, and what the hell they were to do. She couldn't just sit out in the middle of Alberta's highways. Who knew what kind creeps would come wandering over- and she really didn't have the energy to, not only fight them off, but protect Logan as well.

Tegan grabbed a ragged, old hoodie from her bag and tossed it over her head. She jumped from the trailer and walked around the truck, just expecting him to be there. And when he wasn't, she felt a lump of panic. What if those creeps already came? No, the commotion would've awoken her. She was positive on that. Her mutation wouldn't allow her to miss out on an opportunity to stretch her muscle in a good old fashion fight.

Tegan wandered around the truck a couple times, half expecting him to just magically show up, and when he didn't she bit her lower lip. His cigar had left a scent in the trailer- and there was no way it couldn't have been that long ago that he smoked it.... could it?

"What the hell am I gonna do?" She asked herself, turning around. She brought a hand up to her lips and nervously began to chew on her nails. He was obviously at the trailer some point in the morning. Unless... Unless those highway creeps decided to tear Logan down and leave the poor woman laying on the bed some breakfast for her to wake up to!

_Oh, get over yourself Tegan._

Her head began to pound with pain, and she was sure it was from the brightness of the sun. Tegan groaned and walked back to the trailer. She pulled herself back into the shelter, and closed the sun out. Crouching down, she dug around in the bag before pulling out a bottle of aspirin. She gave it a shake, and was disappointed when she noticed there was only a few left.

Argh, this was not good. Not only was her head beginning to pound, she felt her tail bone give a shake of anticipation. The beast wanted out.

"No..." Tegan whispered clamping her eyes shut. "No."

Without haste, she pulled off the lid and dumped the remaining pills into her palm and brought them to her mouth. With a gulp, they were gone.

She knew that two pills weren't going to cut it, but she decided to give it a go. She hauled herself back onto the bed and curled up into the fatal position and tried to sweat it out. Her body began convulsing, and a thin layer of perspiration formed on her skin.

"No... please." She groaned with pain.

-

Logan threw his fifth cigar onto the snow when he finally made it back to the vehicle. He carried a plastic bag of canned goods and a brown paper bag with the liquor store logo painting on it. An essential, Logan figured, for the crap they had been through.

The cold day was just turning into night when he opened the door. He pulled himself up and placed the bags on the table. He noticed that she had eaten the food he brought earlier. Good.

When Logan looked back up to Tegan, he almost jumped. Without a noise, she rolled over onto her side and faced him. She looked pale, and tired. Her hair, damp, was greased to her head and neck, and her bruises were a stronger color.

"You're back." She smiled. "Good. I thought you were kidnapped."

Logan reached into the brown bag and pulled out a can. "Well, good to know that you just laid here." He pulled another one out for Tegan and turned to toss it to her.

Tegan grabbed it and took a look. "Oh, Christ, you are a life saver." She rolled off the bed with better grace than this morning, and cracked the beer open. She brought it to her lips and began to chug it down. After a few gulps she brought it down and sighed. "I could die now." She announced.

Logan cracked his own can open and leaned against the rusty counter. The two then drank in silence, allowing the familiar taste of alcohol to calm their nerves.

Tegan was the first to speak up. She managed to sit at the small table, squeezing her petite body in between the table and bed, where a small, cracked, wooden bench was made. She looked up, "Where'd you go?"

Logan took a swig of his beer. "To the next junction."

"Oh? You mean there are civilians around here?"

"I said junction. There's probably a population of 2 there."

"Four."

Logan stopped mid way of bringing his beer and looked to her. "What?"

Tegan, who was mid-drink, pulled it down. "Four. We're two, plus their two, equals four. It's basic math Logan."

Logan raised his eyebrows to her in disbelief before shaking his head. He brought the beer back up to his lips and let the cool liquid break them apart and relish in his mouth. "Then, I went to the town about a couple miles east."

Tegan looked up to him and smiled. "So, there's more than four people living within distance of each other!" She nodded. "Great."

Logan nodded in agreement and went to grab another can. "I went to the local mechanic there, and we'll have to order a couple parts. It'll take a few months. It's that or buy another car- and I ain't got enough money for either."

He cracked another can open and nodded. "There's a Greyhound that stops there once a week, and it leaves in a couple days. I don't know where you wanna go, but it might be cheap."

"And what makes you think I'm just rolling in the dough?"

Logan sighed and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. "Look, I can't just take you in--"

"Logan, I'm a big girl." She nodded. "There's bound to be some sort of work I could do around here to get some sort of cash to take the bus. I'll just go to my gramma's." She shrugged, "Just let me stay in here a couple nights, then I'll be out of your hair."

Their gazes caught each other and a silent communication was conversed between them. Finally, Logan sighed. "A couple nights. Then you're on your own."

Tegan nodded and reached for another beer.

Hours later, Logan was outside having another cigar, lost in his own thoughts when he heard Tegan shuffle around inside. He shook his head. What the hell was he gettin' himself into?

When the door creaked open, and her head popped out he looked over to her. "You forget something out here?" He asked, taking another inhale of the cigar.

"I just-" She sighed. "I just realized that you walked to the town twice today."

"And?"

"And... thank you. For, you know... the food."

Logan let the cigar dangle in his mouth, and was glad, cause he was sure his face was covered in surprise. "Uh... yeah. No problem." He grunted, turning away from her.

When he heard the door close and Tegan shuffle her way back up on top the bed, he dropped the cigar from his mouth. He stepped on it out of force of habit and opened the front of the truck.

Tonight would be very cold, and very long.


End file.
